Toulouse. The TBC must avoid the trap
The Toulousains go to Paris this evening to face the Federal Center and its rising values.
> The essential
Trap match for the Toulouse Basket Club tonight against the young shoots of the France Pole. A priori, Toulouse are favorites. But the small injuries that have handicapped them since the start of the season and the last result of Lamine Kebe’s men only inspire mistrust.
> The surprising Federal Center
Alias Pôle France, the INSEP team, whose 12 players split playing time, remains on a defensive performance that almost saw it cause a big upset. Les Sables-d’Olonne, who led 41-49 at the start of the last quarter last Friday, at the Nelson Paillou complex, the lair of INSEP, saw their lead melt away to the point of allowing Maxim Logué to equalize at 50-50, 3 minutes from the buzzer. And it was only miraculously, because the arms of the players of the Federal Center trembled in the last minutes, that the Vendeans pocketed the victory.
The TBC will therefore have to show consistency throughout the evening to gain the upper hand over Talis Soulhac, Theo Pichard, Nolan Traoré, Wilson Marie Jacques, Ilane Fibleuil, Mohamed Diakité, the best assets of the France Pole and their teammates.
> Decreased TBC
“A lot of leaders will learn it by reading the newspaper. Maxence Dadiet was slightly injured today (Editor’s note: yesterday) in training. Cédric André was arrested for two weeks. We tried to get him to play in the Cup de France in Bourg last week but quickly realized that he couldn’t. As a result, our team is amputated, diminished.” It will be understood, Stéphane Dao, the Toulouse coach, fears this trip to Paris with a reduced workforce. He adds: “If some people think it’s a foregone conclusion, that it will be an easy match, beware, that’s not true”.
Despite these absences, the TBC has the means to impose itself against the Pôle France, whose team is always more efficient at the end of the season than at the start. But able-bodied players must all function at their best. See above !